


Where The Time Went

by squishytaehyungie



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Byleth Twins, F!Byleth has emotions, F!Byleth/Edelgard, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, M!Byleth/Dimitri, M/M, Slow Burn, mostly because m!byleth is an oblivious mess, pardon my tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22821700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squishytaehyungie/pseuds/squishytaehyungie
Summary: “When the time comes and you are forced to choose, what will you do?~Byleth twins au
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 15
Kudos: 77





	1. An Inevitable Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Yes, I am very well aware that I haven’t updated my other fic in a while but that one is on hiatus until further notice. I do hope to update this one more often but this fic is more of a stress reliever, so it honestly depends on my mood, but I will try my best. I hope you all, enjoy what I have to offer and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> (And yes, I like final fantasy. Feel free to judge)

_“When the time comes and you are forced to choose, what will you do?”_

_He doesn’t say anything and instead avoids looking into her eyes. He knows that she expects an answer, but he doesn’t have one._

_Sothis yawns, letting him collect his thoughts, they still have time after all. So she leans her body against one of the armrests, closing her eyes once she's settled._

_“It will not be an easy decision, but it is one that you will have to make,” She says, sinking into the thrown. “I don’t expect you to make it now. I am only asking that you prepare yourself.”_

_Byleth simply nods, his expression void of any emotion but his mind won’t stop spinning._

_“I’ll be waiting.”_

~

Byleth stares at his reflection and waits, gaze unwavering. 

It isn’t until he feels a sharp pain in his shin that he looks away, releasing a curse as he bends down in his chair to soothe it.

“Honestly, you would think he would know better by now,” Sothis says, unable to stop herself from letting out a laugh.

_“I thought we established that he wasn’t that smart,”_ Aerith thinks, a smug look on her face as she reaches for the last piece of bacon. 

_“Shut up,”_ Byleth thinks, sticking a tongue out at his sister who only smiles in return, making sure to chew slowly.

“Damn, you could have at least saved me a piece,” Jeralt says when he enters the kitchen, grabbing a piece of bread before taking a seat next to Byleth, placing an arm on the back of his chair.

“You should have woken up sooner,” Aerith laughs before finishing her water.

“I will not take that from you, if it wasn’t for our outing, you would likely still be asleep right now,” Jeralt says, reaching for the butter to spread on his bread.

Not only did losing the staring contest cost him his last piece of bacon, but it also meant that he was stuck doing the dishes as well. So begrudgingly, he stood up and collect both his and his sister’s dishes, ignoring the cheeky smile that Aerith sends his way. Sothis, on the other hand, has retreated into the back of their minds, fast asleep.

He is almost done washing the dishes when one of his father’s mercenaries bursts into this kitchen, a look of annoyance present on his face. 

“Sir, sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed,” the man says, shooting both Byleth and Aerith apologetic looks.

“What’s happened?” Jeralt asks, standing up from the table, moving to grab his axe and bag from the chair next to the entrance. With that, both the mercenary and his father make their way outside, Aerith only a few steps behind.

Instead of immediately following suit, Byleth finishes washing the last of the dishes before grabbing his sword as well as both his and Aerith’s bags from the living room. He then joins them outside, locking the door behind him and tossing the bag at Aerith who catches it effortlessly. It is then that he notices three teenagers in uniforms looking at him curiously. 

“Apparently they are being chased by bandits,” Aerith says once Byleth walks up to her side. 

“We would not have bothered you if the situation were not dire,” The blonde says suddenly, everyone's attention now on Byleth. 

Before Byleth can say anything, another mercenary is running up to them. 

“Sir, bandits have been spotted outside the village! There are a lot of them too.” The mercenary says, clearly out of breath from running so far.

“We should get going then,” Jeralt says, turning towards Aerith and Byleth, giving them a look that asks whether or not they are ready.

“Let’s get this over with,” Aerith says, turning her attention to the kids in front of her, “Just listen to us and don’t get in the way, got it.”

She waits for them to nod in understanding before turning to the mercenary, gesturing for him to lead the way. Both Byleth and his father follow closely behind her, but he makes sure to look back every now and then to make sure they hadn’t runoff. Of course, his eyes meet the blonde’s every now and then, but he simply shrugs it off, he does note that the other two seem more focused on Aerith who is currently conversing with his father.

“They’re quite strange,” Sothis says suddenly, now floating alongside him.

 _“How so?”_ He asks, glancing back to find that the blonde is still staring at him.

“I don’t know, there is simply something odd about them,” She admits, glancing back at said people behind them. “I’ll keep an eye on them for now.”

 _“Alright,”_ Byleth says, keeping his attention forward.

~

It isn’t long before they are bombarded by the group of bandits. Lucky, true to their agreement, the three strangers listened to their commands and stood out of their way when required to.

Growing up and fighting together has honed their skills, so it wasn’t surprising that they were dealt with easily since both Byleth and Aerith synergized well together when fighting at each others side. 

It is when the battle is almost over when Aerith notices the bandit leader rush towards the silver-haired girl, axe in hand. A look of surprise is present on her face, but not fear as she pulls out a dagger when she notices him coming her way. Without thinking, Aerith jumps in front of her, shielding her with her body. Before she can feel the pain of the axe that was supposed to dig itself into her back, she opens her eyes to find herself in a dark place, Sothis sitting on a giant throne in front of her, arms crossed and a look of annoyance present on her features as she looks down on her.

“Honestly, what ever were you thinking!?” She yells. “I would expect this from your brother but you! You’re supposed to be the smart one!”

“I’m sorry,” She says, bowing her head.

“As much as I would like to disagree with my following statement, it’s fine,” Sothis lets out a sigh, uncrossing her arms and instead decides to lean against one of the armrests, her expression one of disappointment. “After all, if you don’t know the value of your life, you are not going to protect it very well, are you?”

Aerith simply shrugs, deciding to look away instead of meeting the girl’s eyes.

“Well, I guess it’s up to me to guide you from now on, as well as your brother, but we can discuss with him later, but for now I have remembered some things,” Sothis smiles down at her as she makes her way down the steps.

Hearing her statement, Aerith raises an eyebrow at the girl coming her way.

“It wasn’t long ago that I finally remembered my name but now, not only am I Sothis,” She starts, finally standing in front of Aerith. “But I am also known as the beginning.”

“What does that even mean?” Aerith asks, a small laugh escaping her lips when Sothis slaps her arm. 

“How dare you, this is an important moment,” The girl protests.

“You don’t know what it means, do you?” Aerith asks, already knowing the answer.

Instead of meeting the Aerith’s gaze, Sothis decides to instead look off into the void. “That is beside the point. Do you think me a child? A child that can’t even remember their own past?”

“I mean, you are as tall as a child,” Aerith teases, looking Sothis over.

“Excuse me!” Sothis yells, clearly upset.

“Oh nothing,” Shooting her a blank look, similar to the one that's always present on her brother’s face.

“Phooey!” Sothis exclaims. “At least this ‘child’ isn’t stupid enough to run in front of an axe!”

“So you agree that you are a child?” Aerith asks, still managing to maintain her blank expression despite her need to laugh.

“No!” Sothis yells once more.

“Alright you child.”

“Ugh!” 

“So what now?” Aerith asks once Sothis calms down or at least once she notices that she has stopped muttering that she wasn’t a child to herself. 

“As I was going to say before you insulted me,” Sothis starts, crossing her arms over her chest. “All is well, I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died if I had not intervened.”

“You stopped time?” Aerith asks, raising an eyebrow,

“Yes, and how rude, a normal person would know to express their gratitude,” Sothis let’s out a huff. 

“Who said I was normal?” Aerith asks with a blank look.

“Shut it,” Sothis says, clearly annoyed. “Maybe I should have let you die.”

“Considering you didn’t let me die, I doubt you would leave me be,” A laugh escapes her lips when Sothis clenches her fists at her sides, similar to a child having a tantrum.

“How dare you! Even after I deemed you worth saving!” She exclaims. “Your brother may be stupid, but at least he would be somewhat appreciative.”

“I do appreciate you,” Aerith gives her a genuine smile. “But let’s not lie to ourselves, we both know that he would just stare at you with that dumb look on his face.”

“Unfortunately, you may be right,” Sothis lets out a sigh before taking a seat on one of the steps. “Arguing with you is so tiresome, so let’s get this over with.”

“Alright, what do you plan on doing?” Aerith asks as she joins her on the steps.

“I’m not sure, I don’t know how I managed to stop time in the first place,” She seems to lose herself in thought and Aerith simply decides to look off into the void while she waits for the girl to collect herself. 

After a few more moments of silence, Aerith decides to share her own thoughts. “Maybe, since you were able to stop time, you can turn it back as well?”

“Of course!” Sothis suddenly jumps up from her spot, her attention on Aerith. “You are the smart one!”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Aerith rolls her eyes as she moves to stand as well. 

A strange circle with a number of runes and strange writing appears in front Sothis, the inner circles rotating within it. Aerith simply stares at it, hoping to decipher what the phrases mean to no avail.

“It seems that it can be done,” Sothis focuses her attention on the runes in front of her. “I cannot wind back time too far, but all is well. You are aware of what’s to come, which means you can protect yourself and that girl this time.”

“Alright, that sounds good,” Aerith nods, readying herself. 

“Now go! You who bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…” 

“What are you even saying?”

With a sigh, Sothis waves her hand and everything goes dark.

~

Unlike before, Aerith does guard the silver-haired girl yet, this time she readies herself, the lance in her hands colliding with the bandit leader’s axe. For a brief moment, her eyes meet his which are filled with surprise. Then, with as much force as she can muster, she pushes him back, launching him into the air, his weapon flying far behind him. 

Unfortunately, before she can finish him, she hears footsteps rushing towards her, She turns around to see the two other strangers and Byleth who looks at her with worry. She makes sure to reassure him with a nod. 

“We need to talk,” She thinks, their minds linked. Byleth simply nods and she turns back to the bandit who has already run off.

She lets out a sigh and instead focuses her attention on her father who is rushing towards them on his horse. 

“Kiddo, are you alright?” He asks, jumping off of his horse. “Did you just…”

Before she can answer, she sees a group of knights rushing towards them.

“The Knights of Seiros are here!” The man, who she assumes is their captain, yells. “We’ll cut you down for terrorizing our students! The thieves are running away! Go after them!”

With that, the group disperses and said captain makes their way towards them. 

“The students seem to be unharmed. And…who’s this?” He asks once he is in front of them.

Both Aerith and Byleth hear their father mutter “Why him?” under his breath and the two share a look of confusion. 

_“Do you think he knows him?”_ Byleth asks.

 _“Seems like it,”_ Aerith says, moving to stand by him.

“Captain Jeralt!? It is you! Goodness, it’s been ages,” The man says, giving Jeralt the brightest smile.

 _“Captain?”_ Byleth asks.

 _“Let’s see where this goes,”_ Aerith says, walking towards the conversation occurring in front of her. 

Before Byleth can join them, he feels a tap on his shoulder. The three strangers who he now knows are students are looking at him, well the blonde and the brunette are, the silver one keeps glancing over to Aerith. 

“I wanted to express my gratitude, you were a great help back there,” The blonde says, giving Byleth a small bow.

“Your skill is beyond question,” The girl says. “You are clearly an experienced mercenary, as well as your sister I’m assuming, the two of you look very alike.”

“Unlike Jeralt, the blade breaker? He may be your father, but you look nothing alike.” The brunette says, looking between him and his father who is still conversing with the captain.

“Don’t be rude, I’m sure they have their similarities,” The blonde says, giving the brunette a look that Byleth does not understand.

“Nonetheless,” The girl interrupts. “He was the former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praise as the strongest knight to ever live.”

Byleth simply looks at her, processing the information given to him.

“The Knights of Seiros? Who are they?” He says, confused when the three of them look at him surprised. 

“You’ve never heard of the Knights of Seiros?” The brunette asks, giving him a look that Byleth doesn’t know how to interpret but he shakes his head nonetheless.

“How curious. I’d wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed,” The silver-haired girl says, once again glancing back towards his sister.

“You should come with us to the monastery. I’d love to bend your ear a little,” The brunette says, flashing him a smile. “I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it.”

“That would be because you ran off,” The girl glares at him.

“Too true!” He says, meeting her with a challenging stare. “I was the first to make a strategic retreat. Everything would have worked out if these two hadn’t followed me and ruined everything.”

He turns to Byleth and gives him an expression which he assumes is supposed to be fear, but his tone of voice betrays him. “Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous.”

“Ah, so that’s what you were thinking, Claude,” The blonde says, a look of annoyance present on his face. “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.”

 _“Claude,”_ Byleth thinks to himself. _“At least now I can put a name to a face.”_

“His intentions were as clear as day,” The girl adds, her attention on the blonde. “You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person’s words.”

“Hm,” The blonde starts. A normal person would notice the building tension in the air, but instead, Byleth just watches as the two converse. “You will prove to be a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on.”

“Oh joy,” Claude interrupts, rolling his eyes at their exchange. “A royal debate between their highnesses. I wonder how being completely predictable affects one’s ability to wield power.”

 _“So they're royalty,”_ Sothis says suddenly, causing Byleth to flinch. Luckily, the others were too busy looking at each other to notice. 

_“I suppose so.”_

_“Interesting.”_

“Personally,” Claude continues. “As the embodiment of distrust, I’d say your little exchange smacks of naïveté.”

“Me? Naive!?” The girls answers, annoyed. “Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?”

“In any case,” The blond interrupts, his attention now on Byleth. “Forgive our digression, I must speak with you, if you can spare a moment. The way you held your ground during battle and gave those thought out orders was captivating! You and your sister never lost control of the situation. It showed me how powerful the trust between two people can be and it taught me that I still have much to learn.”

“Indeed, your skills were remarkable,” The girl's attention was now on Aerith who made her way to stand next to Byleth. “They are why I must ask the two of you to consider lending your services to the Empire.”

 _“What are they talking about?”_ Aerith asks, leaning against her brother’s shoulder.

_“To be honest, I have no idea. I zoned out a while ago.”_

_“I should have known better than to ask,”_ She says, suppressing the smile that threatens to come through.

“I must tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire’s-” She is suddenly interrupted by the blonde who catches all of their attention. 

“Halt, Edelgard,” The blonde says, ignoring her glare and instead focuses his gaze on Byleth. “Please allow me to finish my own proposition. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourself. Please, do consider returning to the kingdom with me.”

 _“Her name is Edelgard,”_ Byleth thinks. 

_“You didn’t know her name before?”_ Aerith thought, deciding not to mention how the blonde won’t stop looking at him. _“Do you know the others?”_

_“Not his, but the one standing next to him is Claude. They are all royalty apparently.”_

_“I would think that royals would be smart enough to not ask random strangers to join their country,”_ Aerith says, glancing over to Claude who is also looking them over.

“Whoa!” Claude says once the blonde is finished. “You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless really. I was personally planning to develop deep and lasting friendships on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors.”

 _“I like this one,”_ Aerith says, releasing a laugh internally. 

“But it seems there’s no time for niceties in this world. So, capable strangers, let us get right to it. Where do your allegiances lie?”

Byleth simply shrugs and turns towards his sister for an answer.

 _“Should I say something?”_ He asks. 

_“I guess,”_ Aerith answers, turning her attention towards them _“We still don’t even know the blue one’s name.”_

 _“He seems nice, Edelgard gives me a weird feeling,”_ Byleth says, glancing away when said purple eyes meet his.

 _“I think I like her more than Claude, but he has a good sense of humor,”_ Aerith admits. 

“Hmm, It seems one’s place of birth is quite significant to them,” Sothis says suddenly, catching the two of them off guard, but they make sure to keep their expressions stable. “Ugh, you two definitely have to work on that. Anyways, they are so impressed with the two of you that you may take your pick. Well?

“Ahem,” Claude says, giving them an expectant look, interrupting their inner conversation.

“I like the color blue,” Byleth says, which makes both Aerith and Sothis want to smack him upside the head. Aerith doesn’t fail to notice the way the blonde smiles and the brief frown on Claude’s face. She also doesn’t fail to notice that Edelgard’s attention is on her.

“And you?” Sothis asks, hoping for a better response from her. 

“I don’t know, this is the first I am hearing of these places except for the kingdom,” She says honestly. “But I find that yellow is a little too harsh on the eyes, so I guess red is more my color.”

 _“I mean I did save her life,”_ Aerith thinks, returning the smile that Edelgard sends her way.

 _“That’s fair,”_ Byleth says, his attention on Jeralt who is walking towards them. He must have finished talking to that man.

“Faerghus is a noble and distinguished kingdom that has always valued chivalry,” the blonde says, catching Byleth’s attention. “And we do favor the color blue. Oh! How rude of me, I still have yet to introduce myself. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Kingdom of Faerghus. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

Byleth simply nods, blank expression ever present on his face. 

“Excuse him,” Aerith cuts in. “This is my brother, Byleth Eisner, and I am Aerith Eisner, a pleasure to meet you all as well.”

“We seriously need to work on your social skills,” Sothis scolds before disappearing into the back of their minds.

Edelgard then calls upon Aerith’s attention. “A pleasure to meet you as well. Although the Empire has fallen from its former glory, the other regions are merely offshoots that pale in comparison. But you’ll find that it is still a lovely place.”

Before Aerith can respond, Jeralt is behind both her and her brother, arms wrapped around their shoulders. 

“If you all don’t mind, I have a few words for them,” Jeralt says, not waiting for them to respond before dragging them off. It isn’t until they are a good distance away that he begins to speak.

“Unfortunately for us, it seems that we have to go with them to the monastery,” Jeralt says, rubbing a hand over his face. “I didn’t think that I would have to head back there, especially with the two of you.”

“What about our mission?” Byleth asks.

“I’ll send a few of our mercenaries to go deal with it,” He answers.

“Alois said you were the captain of the knights a long time ago,” Aerith says, mentally telling her brother that Alois is the guy they were talking to before. “Does that mean you were affiliated with them before?”

“Yes, but that was a long time ago, before you were born,” Jeralt answers. “I’ll tell you all about it another day, let’s just get this over with. It would be for the best if we didn’t stay there longer than we needed to.”

“Alright,” Byleth nods.

“When do we depart?” Aerith asks.

“Seeing as they are all getting on their horses, we’ll be leaving now.”

“Let’s get going then!” Sothis says out of nowhere and with that they are off.


	2. Proposals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> It’s been a while.  
> This chapter took a quite a bit of time to write, but it is finally here. I will try to post as often as I can but realistically, you can expect maybe 1 or 2 chapters a month. But depending on how inspired I am, I might just dump a ton on y’all. Nonetheless, I will try to make a concrete upload schedule, but for now, expect chapters to drop randomly.  
> I hope you all and enjoy and see you next time^^
> 
> P.s. if there are any mistakes or you have anything to say, don’t hesitate to comment^^

The skies are clear beyond the treetops. Sunbeams pierce through the cracks in the leaves, adding to the forest’s serene atmosphere.

Every now and then Aerith looks behind her to find her brother looking up at the leaves, the same blank expression ever-present on his face, but she knows that he thinks it’s breathtaking.

Aerith turns her attention to Edelgard who is walking by her side, she seems focused the path in front of them. She glances back at the two boys who have positioned themselves on either side of her brother, trying their best to engage him in a conversation only for him to give them simple nods in response to their advances. 

_“I don’t know what we are going to do with him,”_ Sothis says from within the depths in her mind, making sure to secure their thoughts to keep Byleth from listening. _“He’s hopeless.”_

_“I want to give up, but I’m sure he’ll learn how to talk to people eventually,”_ Aerith responds, a small smile on her face as she looks at her father who is clearly annoyed at the conversation he is having with Alois. She can tell that he doesn’t hate the man, in fact, she knows he feels the exact opposite, but he has been on edge ever since they were forced to go to this “monastery” with them.

“This will be your first time at the monastery,” She overhears Dimitri say. “I’d be happy to show you around.”

Byleth meets his eye, giving him a small nod in response.

“It really is Fodlan in a nutshell,” Claude says, sarcasm lacing every word. “The good and the bad.”

“Like it or not, we’ll be there soon enough,” Edelgard says, turning her to look at Aerith. “If you want, I can show you around as well.”

Like before, Aerith doesn't understand the girl's expressions, but she nods nonetheless. “That’d be great, my father said he worked there a long time ago. So it would be nice to get to know the place.”

“Then it’s settled,” Edelgard says, turning her attention towards the path once more.

It isn’t long before they reach the end of the forest and are faced with the sight of a giant building on top of a set of mountains. It almost looks like a painting with the way it is nestled so perfectly, as it is a part of nature itself. It definitely is a nice place.

“There it is,” Edelgard says. “Garreg Mach Monastery.”

~

Upon arriving at the monastery, the three students split off in different directions, making sure to say their goodbyes and reminding them that they are always willing to show them around so they shouldn’t hesitate to ask. 

Aerith, of course, has to smack her brother’s shoulder in order to get him to actually say something. 

They were then ushered to a courtyard with the instructions that they are to meet with the archbishop. Yet, before they get there, they see her looking down on them, her mouth a thin line but her eyes were giving them something of an intense stare.

“It’s her,” They hear Jeralt mutter, both siblings say nothing, not wanting to break the archbishop’s gaze. “Be wary, remember, we shouldn’t try to stay here longer than we need to.”

The two of them nod and follow their father as he takes the lead, directing them to the two giant doors on the other side of the courtyard.

After walking through a number of corridors and climbing a few sets of stairs, they are finally standing in front of the archbishop’s “throne” room. One of the women dressed in white robes standing on the side approaches them.

“The archbishop is ready to see you all, please feel free to step inside,” She says, gesturing towards the entrance, and as she does so, two of the knights standing guard move to open the doors.

Without sparing her a second glance, they make their way through the entrance. Aerith doesn’t fail to notice the way her father walks, his shoulders clearly tense.

“It’s been years since I’ve last set eyes on this place,” Jeralt says quietly, catching their attention. “To be forced to see her now…”

“Her?” Byleth asks.

“The woman we saw in the courtyard, that was the archbishop,” Jeralt says, his eyes focused on the empty throne. “Or Lady Rhea, which is what most of the residents here like to call her. The majority of Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros. She is the leader of the large religious organization.”

“Alois said you were the captain of the Knights of Seiros years ago,” Aerith starts. “Why did you leave?”

“This isn’t a good time to talk about that,” Jeralt turns to Aerith. “But I promise to tell the too of you later.”

Before either of them can respond, the sound of approaching footsteps can be heard from the corridor attached to a room on their right. It is then that the Lady Rhea is standing in front of them, a man with green hair by her side.

“Thank you for your patience, Jeralt,” The man says before looking at both Aerith and Byleth. “My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop.”

“It has been a long time, Jeralt,” Lady Rhea says with a small smile. “I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance to meet like this?”

 _“Her voice is so nice and calm,”_ Byleth thinks during their conversation. _“But there is something off about her.”_

 _“I agree,”_ Aerith responds, intent on studying Lady Rhea’s expressions. _“We should listen to father’s words and keep our distance.”_

 _“Alright,”_ Byleth says plainly.

“I see that the miracle of fatherhood has blessed you,” Lady Rhea says suddenly, giving the two of them a strange smile. “These are your children, are they not?”

“Umm... Yes, born many years after I left this place,” Jeralt responds, clearly tense. “I wish I could introduce you to their mother… but I am afraid that we lost her to illness.”

Lady Rhea seems to clearly wants to say something in return but instead, she nods, giving him the same strange smile. “You have my condolences.”

“It’s alright,” Jeralt says stiffly. “It was a long time ago.”

“Alright,” She then turns her attention towards the two siblings. “I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What are your names?”

“My name is Aerith,” Aerith gives her a small bow, turning to look at her brother who has yet to say anything. _“She asked you for your name.”_

“My name is Byleth,” He says calmly, giving her a small bow as well.

“What fine names,” Lady Rhea responds. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy,” She then turns her attention to Jeralt. “Jeralt. You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?”

 _“She didn’t seem that happy with our names,”_ Byleth says during their conversation.

 _“Yeah, she seemed a little disappointed,”_ Aerith looks between both her father and Lady Rhea. _“I hope we can leave soon.”_

 _“Same here, father promised to take us fishing,”_ Judging from the slight change in tone, Aerith could tell he was disappointed.

_“Then I hope we leave soon, I’ve been craving fish sandwiches.”_

At the mention of fish sandwiches, Byleth can hear his stomach grumble. 

“You have my sincere apologies,” Lady Rhea started, directing a smile, one similar to the type of smile you would see a mother give their child, in Byleth’s direction. “Considering the time and the long journey to get here, it all must have made you hungry. Please feel free to head to the dining hall after this, you will find that the food there will be more than filling.”

Byleth nods, one a little faster than the one he had given during his introduction which spoke volumes to how much he was looking forward to it. This action, of course, only made Lady Rhea’s smile grow brighter.

 _“Does he ever think of anything besides food?”_ Sothis’ voice rang in Aerith’s mind.

 _“Besides thinking about his sword, no,”_ Aerith thought with a small chuckle. 

“Well I won’t keep you from your meal, so I shall step away for now,” Lady Rhea says, giving Seteth a small nod. “Jeralt, I am sure the knights will desire a word with you soon. Please, listen carefully to what they have to say.”

“Alright,” Jeralt gave her a firm nod, refusing to meet her gaze. 

“As for the two of you,” Lady Rhea once again focuses her attention on the two feelings. 

_“Listen carefully because he surely won’t be,”_ Sothis let out a sigh. _“The only thing going through his mind are memories of fish.”_

It’s a struggle, but Aerith somehow manages to hold back her laughter, and instead works hard to maintain her stoic expression and listen to what the archbishop has to say.

“I would love for the two of you to get acquainted with the different house leaders and their respective classmates. There is something I would like to ask the two of you later, and things will be much easier if you familiarize yourselves with the students here,” Rhea says, turning towards Byleth. “After you have eaten of course, but I’ve heard that there is no better time to bond with someone than over a good meal. This is farewell for now, but I hope to speak with the two of you again soon.”

Instead of responding, Aerith gives the archbishop a small bow, mentally slapping her brother and forcing him to do the same. With that, the two go back to the room in which they came from. It isn’t until they hear the sound of a door shutting that Jeralt decides to speak.

“I can’t believe it,” Jeralt lets out a sigh, bringing a hand up to ease the tension on the bridge of his nose. “Forced back into the Knights of Seiros. I’m sorry for dragging the two of you into this. Looks like we’ll be stuck here for a while… and I’m afraid your services are requested as well.”

“They want us to work here?” Aerith asks, not failing to notice the aura of disappointment around her brother, the feeling is weak, but it’s still there. 

“They want the two of teach by the sound of it,” Jeralt turns to look at Byleth who meets his eyes. 

“Does this mean that you won’t take us fishing?” Aerith can feel Sothis facepalm at her brother’s question, but she is also awaiting her father’s response. 

At that, some of Jeralt’s tension withered away as he let out a laugh, reaching out a hand to ruffle his son’s hair. 

“Of course that's what you are concerned about,” Jeralt smiles, looking toward Aerith. “And I’m sure you were thinking the same.”

“You caught me,” Aerith says with a small, expectant smile.

“Well, unfortunately, we will have to postpone our outing,” Jeralt begins, Byleth’s shoulders falling at the statement. “But the monastery does have a small body of water, we passed it on our way here, it’s near the entrance. Last I was here, I remember that people were able to go fishing whenever they please, there was even a merchant stand that sold bait.”

The excitement on Aerith’s face was definitely not as obvious as her brother’s whose eyes had widened and lips had parted, which can be interpreted as his jaw dropping at their father’s words.

“I’ll show you where it is when we head to the dining hall,” Jeralt’s let out another laugh. “But I won’t be able to eat with you since there are a few more people that I need to talk to, but I’ll gladly go fishing with the two of you, if time allows it.”

The two of them nod before Aerith goes back to her father’s previous statement. 

“So they want us to teach here?”

“You heard those brats earlier talking about the Officers Academy right?” Gesturing for them to leave the room. “Well, the academy just happens to be short a professor.”

“So only one of us has to teach?” Byleth asks, his mind torn between focusing on the conversation and thinking about fish. 

“They didn’t seem that much younger than us, but you know I’m not good with kids,” Aerith says as they turn the corner, heading towards the stairs. 

“The two of you will have time to decide amongst yourselves,” Jeralt let’s the two of them go in front of him. “But it’s obvious answer. I know you’ll help your brother regardless.”

Aerith let’s out a laugh, Byleth giving her a confused look. 

“I’d rather not spend more time than I need to with spoiled kids,” She says once they reach the end. “But you know I’ll be there, someone has to make sure he actually lectures.”

Before they can continue, they are stopped by two individuals whose attire are definitely different from the other residents here. 

“Oh my, you must be the new professor,” The woman says with a seductive tone, leaning slightly forward, exposing more of her breasts, extending a finger to run down on one of Jeralt’s shoulder plates. “My, how stern and handsome you are!”

“Er, no,” Jeralt turns away, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m not the one you’re looking for.”

The woman then turns to Aerith who quickly points her thumb towards Byleth.

“Oh!” She says, feigning surprise. “It’s you, then? So young…”

“Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you know well,” The man who appears to be older than her says. “I am Hanneman, a crest scholar, and professor at the Officers Academy. The two of you are twins, are you not? I wonder if the two of you bear a Crest. When next you have a moment to spare, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further.”

“I don’t think that is necessary,” Jeralt glanced towards the woman who clearly looked annoyed. 

“Crests. Crests. Crests,” She says while rolling her eyes. “Why is that the only thing you can talk about?" She shrugs him off and turns back towards Byleth. "Ignore him. I’m Manuela. I’m a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available. It’s nice to meet you all.”

“A songstress?” Byleth asks which earns him a wink from Manuela.

“Of course. Before I came here, I belonged to a renowned opera company,” Manuela began, an air of confidence oozing off of her. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me? The Mittelfrank Opera Company’s beautiful, peerless-”

“Spare our colleagues the needless chatter, Manuela,” Hanneman shook his head. “Now then, it seems you'll be taking charge of one of the academy’s three houses. I expect that the both of you haven’t yet been briefed on the nature of each, have you? We were actually on our way to meet you both to discuss but it seems your meeting ended quickly.”

“Three houses?” Byleth asked, clearly puzzled. 

“Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude were wearing different colors,” Aerith added. 

“So you’ve met the house leaders, did they tell you anything about their respective houses?” Hanneman asked. 

“No, they mostly told us about their territories,” Aerith answered. 

“Alright,” Manuela clapped her hands together. “Fine, I’ll do you a favor and explain.”

The two of them began to explain the houses and all the while Byleth shifted his weight from one leg to another, hoping that they would finish talking soon so that they could go eat and more importantly, see this fishing area they were told about. Jeralt, on the other hand, was only half-listening but was clearly lost in thought. All of which leaves Aerith who took it upon herself to pay attention to everything they had to say.

“I’m sure you all were headed towards somewhere,” Hanneman says, ignoring the growls that erupted from Byleth’s stomach. “I suggest taking a stroll around the academy to gather your bearings, and when you’ve got a moment, please stop by my research laboratory.”

“The old man has a point,” Manuela starts, which earns her a glare from Hanneman. “Oh, and keep in mind that I’ve only notified the house leaders that one of you will be our new professor. It’s more fun that way. I suggest you try spending time with the students. Some odd ducks in that bunch, but they’re good kids. I’m sure Lady Rhea will have more information for you tomorrow, but that should get you going. Good luck. You’ll need it.”

“Well,” Jeralt started once she finished. “If that’s all, we shall get going.”

“Alright,” Manuela directed a smile towards Byleth and Jeralt, her next statement not really directed at either one of them specifically. “And if you ever want to get to know each other better, feel free to stop by the infirmary.”

With another wink, she walked away. 

“That woman,” Hanneman says with a sigh. “Please do come by the laboratory when you have time and if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask. I will try to assist you both as much as I can.”

With that he walked off in the direction he came from.

~

Once they reach the entrance to the dining hall, Jeralt explains where they can find the fishing spotlight but he stops to say one more thing before he leaves. 

“Before I go,” He starts, his voice low and seriously. “Watch out for Lady Rhea. I don’t know what she’s thinking, making one of you a professor like this. She may be up to something, so keep your guards up.”

He places a hand on both of their shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. 

“I’ll see you two later, alright,” He says with a nod, bringing the two of them into an embrace which they both return. After a few moments, he lets them go, ruffling their hair before heading towards the giant entrance of the building.

 _“I’m starving,”_ Byleth thought.

 _“I know you are,”_ Aerith said, playfully punching his shoulder before walking into the dining hall.

Unfortunately for them, a lot of other people were also hoping to get food since there was a long line that started on the other side of the room and ended near where they had just entered. Before Byleth could complain internally, his eyes found Dimitri who had just entered the dining hall through one of the doors on the other side near the star of the line, a tall, dark skinned student with white hair only a small distance behind him. Before he could look away, Dimitri caught his gaze and sent him a smile before walking over, the other student following him as well. 

“Hello again,” Dimitri says once he’s close enough, joining the two of them in line since no one else had yet come to make the line even longer. “It seems that a lot of other people are also hoping to get lunch.”

“Yes,” Byleth answered simply, glancing at the student behind Dimitri. He was very tall and had a blank expression, but the downturn of his eyebrows definitely gave off a vibe that most would probably find intimidating.

“This is Dedue,” Dimitri gestured towards him. “He’s a dear and loyal friend of mine.”

Dedue gave both Byleth and Aerith a bow, hand over his heart. “I currently serve Prince Dimitri. I have heard that you rescued His Highness. Words cannot express my gratitude. Should you ever require my strength, please know that I will hasten to repay this debt.”

“Come now,” Dimitri spoke once Dedue was done. “I’ve told you before that there is no need for such formalities. Please, call me by my name.”

“I’m sorry your highness,” Dedue answer, voice apologetic.”

Dimitri simply shook his head and turned his attention towards Byleth. “Please, call me by my name. After what we went through back there, I believe that there is no need for us to be so formal. I simply ask that you treat me like you would treat your friends.”

Byleth simply nods while Aerith looks around the dining hall. Never once have they been in a place so full of people. It is while she is lost in thought that she hears a familiar voice behind her.

“So I hear that one of you will be taking on a teaching position here at the monastery,” Edelgard says with a smile, all while a tall student with black hair and intimidating features stands behind her, looking Aerith over. “Whoever it might be, I hope that you will choose the black eagles.”

Aerith let’s the two come in between her and Byleth, which earns her a grateful nod from Edelgard. 

Overhearing Edelgard’s last statement, Dimitri shoots Byleth another smile, which, unknown to him, bounces right off. 

“Ah yes, I did hear that one of you will be teaching here,” Dimitri starts. “I would appreciate it if you choose the blue lions. The other students are all unique in their own ways, but they are good people. You’ll find that you’ll never lack enjoyment with us.”

Dedue simply nods, understanding what his highness was trying to do.

“His highness mentioned that you liked the color blue,” Dedue’s faced remained stoic when his eyes caught Dimitri’s wide ones. “I’m sure that if you choose our house, you will be provided with a uniform as well.”

Byleth, once more, nods, although this time, he decides to say something. 

“I don’t have much clothing, so that would be nice.”

At that, Dimitri gives him another smile. “I will make sure to have something prepared for you, should you decide to join our house then.”

 _“They’re getting along quite nicely,”_ Sothis says from inside Aerith’s mind.

 _“Has he been able to say more than just ‘yes’ and ‘no?’”_ Aerith asks, making sure to nod every time Edelgard finishes describing one of her peers. 

_“Surprisingly yes, but it seems that both of them really want you to join their houses, lucky for us, the other kid isn’t around or else we would have an all out fight break out,”_ Sothis let’s out a laugh. _“Of course said fight would be futile, considering that we both know that the choice has already been made.”_

 _“If I didn’t detest the idea of teaching, I would probably join the black eagles,”_ Aerith thought, going over the idea of teaching. Seeing as her father has been nothing but tense ever since he set foot on the monastery, she’d rather spend her time here learning why than lecturing students.

“Regardless of whichever of you decides to teach,” Edelgard says, she clearly had been listening to the conversations taking place behind her, but decided to not bring any attention to it. “I sure hope that you choose the house that best suits you, but know this, the black eagles will always have its doors open.”

“I’ll remember that,” Aerith smiles, knowing that she’ll likely never take on that offer, considering that if her brother does choose the blue lions, she’ll be spending her time helping him there than anywhere else.

After what would have felt like an eternity if it were just the two of them, they finally manage to get their meals and are able to find a place to eat, house leaders, along with Dedue and Hubert, moving to sit with them. Of course, along the way, a few other students move to join them.

Byleth and Aerith sit alongside each other, Dimitri taking a seat next to Byleth with Dedue taking the seat next to the prince. All while Edelgard sit next to Aerith, Hubert on her other side. Another student, who Byleth had learn was called Ashe, a commoner who was taken in by a wealthy man, sits in front of him. Two girls, Mercedes and Annette, if Byleth remembers their name correctly, taking the spots in front of Dedue. 

Caspar, whom Aerith was told was the rowdiest of the black eagles, sat next to Ashe, Dorothea sitting next to him. 

Unlike the quiet meals that they are used to, Aerith and Byleth are brought into a number of different conversations, Aerith responding when needed to, while Byleth gave small nods, his attention more on focused on the food than the people around him. Of course, both house leaders and their companions still had yet to mention that one of them was going to be teaching one of their classes. Aerith definitely appreciated it, since talking to these students in a normal manner is much more enjoyable than unnecessary formalities.

“So Byleth, do you enjoy sweet or spicy food?” Annette asked excitedly, awaiting his response.

Byleth took a second to think it over, this first thing coming to his mind was the cake that their father would buy for them on their birthday every year. He made a point of buying the most expensive cake he could find, even if it meant that they could only eat fish for the rest of the month, which, of course, neither of them cared.

“Sweet,” Byleth answered, taking another bite out of his piece of bread.

“Me too!” Annette exclaims, a huge smile on her face. “Mercie and I are always making sweets here.”

“I’d be happy to make you some,” Mercedes beamed. “We could enjoy them over a nice cup of tea.”

“I’d be happy to join you all, if you’d let me,” Dimitri says brightly. 

“Of course!” Annette giggles. “You too Dedue, it’ll give us an excuse to make more.”

Dedue simply nods, taking another bite out of his meal.

They continue to make plans, mentioning some of their other classmates and how they should make it into a welcoming party, since they had learned that the two of them will be staying at the monastery for a while. So they make sure to probe Byleth more with the goal to find out more of his likes and dislikes.

“They sure seem excited,” Dorothea says calmly, turning her attention back to Aerith. “Do you enjoy tea, Aerith?” 

“I do,” Aerith responds, taking a sip from her water. “My father would bring us back new flavors whenever he would go off on missions on his own.”

“Do you have a favorite?” Edelgard asks. 

“Not really,” Aerith tried to remember most of the flavors she’s had, not one standing out to her. “I tend to enjoy most flavors though. So it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“Maybe we should have a tea party of our own,” Dorothea winks at Edelgard who makes a point of looking away. “I’d love to get to know you better.”

“Why waste your time drinking tea when we could go training?” Caspar asks loudly before taking a huge bite out of his turkey leg. “I wanna see how strong you really are. Edelgard told us how you sent that bandit flying, but I don’t believe it.”

“You want me to launch you into the air?” Aerith asks, raising an eyebrow. 

“That would be awesome!” Caspar slams his hand on the table. Aerith can almost see stars in his eyes. 

“Calm yourself,” Hubert says, clearly annoyed. 

“Now, now,” Edelgard interrupts. “I’m sure we’ll have an opportunity to train soon. I would like to test your strength as well.”

Aerith meets her gaze with a nod. 

“I always enjoy a good sparring match,” Aerith says, an air of confidence surrounding her. “Just know that I don’t like to hold back.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Edelgard says, giving her a challenging smile.

That is how the rest of their meals go, the students constantly creating new conversations in which Aerith would give proper answers, and ask questions of her own. All while Byleth simply nodded, earning a laugh every time he came back with more food. Although the members of both houses kept to themselves, the atmosphere was more happy and inviting than anything else. What was once a midday sun was now a beautiful sunset. 

Dimitri was the first to excuse himself, promising to see the two of them again soon, his gaze focused on Byleth during the whole ordeal. Aerith didn’t mind, and watched as he ran off, Dedue in tow. She almost wanted to slap her brother’s arm since all he did was nod before digging into his dessert.

After reminding her of their future sparring session, Caspar ran off, Dorothea immediately taking his seat to invite her for tea once more without any interruptions. She didn’t seem too upset when Edelgard invited herself to said tea party, but she did seem a little sad when said tea party also turned into a welcome party so that they could introduce her to the other members of the black eagles. Of course, once Edelgard and Hubert took their leave, Aerith made sure to make plans for a tea party between the two of them.

“We should get going as well,” Mercedes says, gathering both hers and Annette’s plates. “I’ll make sure to prepare some sweets for the next time we meet.”

“You’ll love them,” Annette smiled, her mouth watering at the thought of more desserts. “Mercie bakes the best cakes, maybe we could make one for you.”

“That sounds like a splendid idea,” Mercedes smiled. “Let’s do that. Come on Annie, we have to wake up early tomorrow to meet our new professor.”

“Alright,” Annette moved to stand. “See you around Byleth.”

With that, the two girls walked away, waving back at him once they were close to the kitchen entrance, giggling when Byleth gave them a small wave in return. 

“I do wonder who our new professor will be,” Ashe says, gathering his own dishes. “I heard people say that Jeritza was one possibility, but I assume you haven’t met him yet. That man can be a bit intimidating, so I hope that we can get someone like Hanneman or Manuela.”

“Whoever it might be, I’m sure they’ll be great,” Aerith says, giving the boy a reassuring smile. 

“I sure hope so,” Ashe says hopefully. “I don’t come from a noble background like most of the students here, so I intend to do my best, of course, a good instructor would make things much easier.”

“You’ll be fine,” Aerith smiled, kicking her brother’s leg underneath the table, causing him to look up abruptly, nodding his head.

“Just work hard,” Byleth says, the same blank look on his face.

“Y’know,” Ashe looked between the two, a soft smile present on his face. “Although the two of you look extremely alike, you are both very different. Yet, seeing the way the two of you interact makes me want to pay my own siblings a visit.”

“We get that a lot,” Aerith says, ignoring the chuckle coming from Sothis. 

“Anyways, I should also get going, I also have to wake up early tomorrow. I hope that two of you have a nice evening,” With a small bow, he walks away, leaving the two siblings on their own.

“That was interesting,” Sothis says suddenly, appearing in front of them. “You both seem to be getting along with the students here.”

_‘They’re nice,’_ Byleth thinks, finishing that last of his dessert. 

_‘They are definitely more lively than our father’s mercenaries,’_ Aeriths rests her chin on the palm of her hand, watching as people come and go, a few looking their way before walking off. _‘But they seem like good people.’_

“Indeed,” Sothis then turns her attention to Byleth who tosses his final strawberry into his mouth. “Have you decided which house you want to teach?”

_‘I don’t even know how to teach,”_ He admits, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. _‘What am I supposed to teach them?’_

_‘We could ask Hanneman and Manuela, but I’m sure Lady Rhea will give us more details tomorrow,’_ Aerith says, gathering her empty plates. _‘Do you at least have an idea of what house you want?’_

_‘Blue lions,’_ Byleth says after a few moments. _‘They promised to make me sweets.’_

Sothis rolls her eyes, but she fails to contain the laugh that escapes her lips. “I would have never guessed.”

“Let’s get going,” Aerith says out loud. “I’m sure you wanna check out the fishing area before the sun goes down.”

Byleth nods, standing up abruptly and gathering his huge amount of dishes.

“I do say, it’s almost as if there is an endless void where your stomach should be,” Sothis let’s out another laugh before disappearing into the back of their minds.

“You’re not wrong,” Aerith nudges her brother’s shoulder before walking ahead of him.

They hand their dishes to the kitchen workers before heading towards the fishing area, following the directions that their father had given them earlier. It doesn’t take them long before they find a stand that matches their father’s description. 

The man that is supposed to be running is fast asleep on his stool, a hat covering his face. Of course, instead of trying to wake the vendor up, they instead gawk at the different fishing poles and hooks. It is while they are examining all the different fishing equipment that they hear a familiar voice.

“Hello again,” Claude says, causing the two siblings to look back at him, noticing the pink-haired girl standing by his side. “I heard you both caused quite the ruckus in the dining hall. I’m a little hurt that I wasn’t invited.”

“Ignore him,” The pink-haired girl says. “We were actually on our way to go get dinner. You two are the mercenaries that saved this idiot right? Everyone has been talking about the two of you. I’m Hilda Valentine Goneril, nice to meet you.”

“Your words wound me Hilda,” Claude says, bringing a hand up to his chest, feigning pain. “That is no way to treat a friend.”

“So he’s always like this?” Aerith asks Hilda who simply nods with a sigh. 

“You get used to it,” Hilda says, ignoring the fake hurt look that Claude sends her way. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you Hilda, I’m Aerith Eisner,” Aerith says before gesturing towards her brother who has once again gone back too looking at the fishing gear. He is in the middle of examining on of ths fish hooks when Aerith grabs his arm and pulls him towards her. “And this is my brother, Byleth.”

“Hello,” Byleth says, giving Hilda a small nod.

“Well it seems that you both scored a teaching gig here,” Claude says once they are done with their introductions. “Talk about a great first impression. Your welcome.”

“If you think running off and leaving us behind is worth praise, that only leads me to believe that one of those bandits might have hit your head a little too hard,” Hilda remarks.

“Or maybe they didn’t hit him hard enough?” Aerith suggests, earning a laugh from Hilda and a pout from Claude.

After a few more moments of Hilda and Aerith judging Claude for his questionable decisions, Claude is finally able to catch their attention by clearing his throat loudly. 

“I enjoy friendly banter as much as the next guy, but that is not what we came to do,” Claude says, ignoring the eye roll that he receives from Hilda. “I wanted to ask the two of you if you have decided which of you will be teaching here and if you have decided on a house? I’m assuming that only one of you will be teaching here since Manuela said that there will only be one new professor.”

“It would be great if you taught the golden deer house,” Hilda added. “I heard from a couple people that the two of you really know your way around a battlefield. Of course, I wouldn’t blame either of you if you decide to choose a different house. Spending too much time around this guy is enough to drive any person mad, but if you were to join our house, it would definitely make life easier around here.”

“I don’t know if I can agree with that,” Aerith started. “I’ve never taught anyone before, but lucky for me, the choice isn’t up to me.”

Their attention is now on Byleth who was now comparing different colored hooks, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in what seems to be concentration. 

_‘There isn’t anything going through his mind, he is just staring at them,’_ Sothis said, both annoyed and amused.

 _‘I’m not surprised,’_ Aerith once again grabbed her brothers arm, forcing him to join them which led to him staring back at the two students with a blank expression, his hands still holding the hooks which one can now see are yellow and green.

“So you will be the new teacher here?” Claude asked, earning him a small nod from Byleth. “Have you decided on a house yet? I also wanted to introduce you to my house, but it seems that I wasn’t both quick and loud enough. I could hear you all from the library, so I assume you enjoyed your meals.”

Hilda quickly elbowed his arm once he finished his last statement. “Excuse him, he’s just jealous that he couldn’t ask you for lunch himself.”

“I am not,” Claude said pointedly. 

Aerith simply rolled her eyes as the two began to bicker, so instead she decided to look over the hooks in her brother’s hands.

“Did you decide on one?” She asked, reaching her hand out to inspect the yellow one. 

“That’s a good one,” Claude said suddenly, “I read somewhere that fish are able to dectect brighter colors more than others.”

Byleth simply nodded his head as he looked over the yellow one again, internally making the decision to go with that one before looking up at Claude who met his gaze easily. 

“Thank you,” Byleth said calmly. 

“Don’t mention it,” Claude gave him a sly grin. “Although you haven’t met the other’s, none of them will fail to catch your attention. They are definitely a lively bunch.”

Once again, Byleth nodded simply.

“And should you decide to take us under your wing,” Claude continued, bringing a hand up to the yellow material on his shoulder. “You’ll find that both the Golden Deer and I are easy to spot.”

Understanding what her house leader was trying to do, Hilda also shot Byleth a smile. 

“I really hope you think it through,” Hilda caught Byleth’s blank look. “We may not be as uniform as the other houses, but we’ll always manage to keep you on your toes. Which I think would be very beneficial for you, especially in battle.”

 _‘They’re smart, I can give them that,’_ Sothis said from within Aerith’s mind. _‘It’s a shame that the only thing running through his mind is fish,’_

 _‘A shame, they were very smooth,’_ Aerith thought.

After a few more seconds of waiting for Byleth to respond, Claude cleared his throat

“We should get going then,” Claude said, glancing away from both Byleth and Aerith, his pride had clearly taken a hit. “We have early classes to worry about. I hope to see you tomorrow, teach.”

“Let’s have tea sometime,” Hilda smiled, her proposal not directed at either twin specifically. “Feel free to stop by our class any time.”

The two said their goodbyes before walking off, leaving the twins alone with the stand and the sleeping vendor.

“Everyone seems to have taken a liking to the two of you.” Sothis appeared, floating in front of them, her next sentence directed at Byleth. “What ever will you do,” She said more as an afterthought than a question.

Aerith patted her brother on the shoulder. 

“I guess we’ll see.”

With that, the two turn their attention back towards the stand, Sothis commenting on their choices every now and then. Once they decided on what they wanted, they moved to set up on the small pier next to the stand, promising to make their father pay when he joins them later, not wanting to wake the man up.


	3. Beginnings

The white towel in his hands is soft, softer than anything he’s touched before, even the rabbit’s he caught with his father couldn’t compare.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Aerith asks, drying her hair with a towel similar to his, but her towel is a soft blue.

“It is,” Byleth says simply, drying his own hair. Jeralt had led them to the sauna/bath after they finished fishing. He isn’t too upset when they told him that they hadn’t paid for the supplies, and instead went to grab his own pole before joining them on the pier. He took the fish they caught to the dining hall before telling them that they should clean up, assuring them at the fish they caught will be ready by the time they’re done. 

Aerith nods and walks over to the dresser, placing a hand on one of the piles of neatly folded clothes that they had packed for their trip. Their father had said that they would be sharing a room tonight, but they should be getting their own tomorrow.

“Are you nervous?” Aerith asks, picking up the shirt laid on top. Byleth joins her side, looking over his pile. 

“Not really,” Byleth takes off the shirt the sauna keepers gave him and replaces it with his own. Aerith then takes her own pile, placing it on the bed, their backs to each other as they both get changed.

“I just hope they don’t expect too much from me,” Byleth is folding damp clothing when Aerith turns around. 

“I don’t mean to bring bad news,” Sothis says suddenly, hovering over the bed. “But those students adore you. So you will definitely have your hands full.”

“They could not stop talking to you,” Aerith laughed, placing her damp clothing on the ground next to the dresser. “You’ve definitely piqued their interest.”

“Why do I have to teach them?” Byleth asks, grabbing his boots and taking a seat on the bed. “You’re more suitable for the job than I am?”

“I am going to watch over some kids, let alone teach them,” Aerith laughs, joining her brother on the bed, her own boots in hand. 

“They aren’t kids, most of them don’t seem that much younger than us,” Byleth says, moving to put on his other boot. “Helping each other is nothing compared to teaching a class.”

“Stop whining,” Sothis yawns, leaning back against the two of them. “I’ll be there to help you.”

“If by help, you mean to make fun of, no thank you,” Byleth stands up suddenly, causing Sothis to fall back into the mattress, her head hanging over the edge.

“How rude,” Sothis huff, sitting up and straightening out her hair.

“You’ll be fine,” Aerith pats her brother on the shoulder before making he way out of their room. “Just don’t think too much.”

“You don’t have to tell him twice,” Sothis laughs, sticking her tongue out when Byleth glares at her. 

“Shush,” Aerith says and with that, Sothis retreats to the back of their minds as they make their way to the dining hall.

~

Byleth and Aerith are greeted by both Manuela and Hanneman before they go to see Lady Rhea, but judging from the air between the two, they had definitely interrupted some kind of argument between the two.

“Good morning you two,” Manuela sends them both a smile. “Are you both ready?”

“Yes,” Aerith says, Byleth simply nodding next to her. 

“Then let’s get going, shall we,” Hanneman says, opening the door for them.

Inside, both Seteth and Lady Rhea are conversing, Seteth’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. At the sound of the door opening, Rhea turns away from Seteth, ending their conversation and replacing her serious expression with a smile. 

“Good morning,” Lady Rhea says calmly, turning her attention towards Byleth and Aerith. “I hope you both have enjoyed your time at the academy. I heard the dining hall was quite lively yesterday. I’m glad the two of you enjoyed yourselves.” 

“We did,” Aerith returns Lady Rhea’s smile. “Thank you.”

“Hm,” Seteth starts. “I suppose it is time for the two of you to decide who will teach her and which house you’ll take charge of. I am personally against entrusting someone as lacking in trackable history as yourselves with such a task, but it is as the archbishop desires.”

“You both look so promising, but you’ve made your choice, haven’t you?” Manuela says, looking over towards Byleth who simply nods. 

“So you’ve decided?” Lady Rhea asks, clearly amused. 

“He’s much better with children than I am,” Aerith says, ignoring the look that Byleth sends her way. 

“Is that so?” Lady Rhea chuckles, her focus on Byleth. “Then I trust that you’ll do fine then.”

“I hope so,” Byleth says blankly. 

“Then it’s settled,” Manuela claps her hands together. “The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer… All so different. I hope you’ve made it a point to know each of them.

“Since you are new here,” Hanneman says, catching Byleth’s attention. “We have decided to allow you first pick. Manuela and I will take charge of the remaining two houses.”

_ ‘You’ve made your choice right?’  _ Sothis says from within Byleth’s mind.

_ ‘Unfortunately,’  _ Byleth answers, earning an internal laugh from Aerith. 

Byleth turns towards Lady Rhea before he answers. “The Blue Lions.”

“Wonderful,” Lady Rhea sends a warm smile in Byleth’s direction. “Your heart has made its choice. All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity.”

“They are all promising youths,” Seteth spared no glance to Aerith and instead stared Byleth straight in the eye. “Some of which bear the weight of Fódlan’s future upon their shoulders. I hope you appreciate what an honor it is to lead them. So-”

Before he could continue his next statement, the sound of shoes clicking against the tile floor filled the room. 

“Brother?” The young girl says before looking over Manuela and everyone else, her eyes growing wide. “Oh! I am so sincerely sorry! I did not mean to interrupt.”

“I am in the middle so something, Flayn,” Seteth’s attention is solely on the girl. “Is it urgent?”

“No, no, it’s nothing,” Flayn quickly replaced her frown with a smile and turned her attention towards Byleth and Aerith. “More importantly… Who are they?”

“This is Aerith,” Seteth says, gesturing to Aerith who gives Flayn a small wave. “And the man standing next to her is our… er… newest professor at the academy.”

“Oh my!” Flayn’s expression is one of joy as she looks them over, her eyes falling on Byleth. “A new addition to the Officers Academy! I am so very pleased to meet you, Professor.”

With a small bow, she continues. “I am Seteth’s little sister, Flayn. I am so happy to make your acquaintance.”

“Nice to meet you too Flayn,” Aerith says with a smile, bringing more joy out fo the girl. She quickly nudges Byleth’s shoulder.  _ ‘Say something!’ _

“Hello,” Byleth says simply. 

The slap of a hand against Sothis’ forehead rings in their heads.

“Ahem,” Seteth says, calling all of their attention. “Let us focus on the topic at hand. There is something you should be aware of. In a few days time, there will be a mock battle between the three houses, intended to gauge the current progress of the students. We will be using this battle as an opportunity to ascertain your own abilities as well. Please do not disappoint the archbishop. That is all.”

“We shall let you all discuss your plans for the coming year, for now, we have other important matters to attend to,” Lady Rhea gives them a warm smile before looking over at Aerith. “But before you go, please, come join me in my office. I have a few things to discuss with you.”

“Of course,” Aerith nods and begins to follow the archbishop.  _ ‘Wait for me,’  _ Aerith thinks, not bothering to look back at her brother who responds with a simple  _ ‘okay.’ _

“Come Flayn,” Seteth calls over his sister and they both head towards the exit.

“Well this is exciting,” Manuela says once everyone else is gone, leaving her, Byleth, and Hanneman alone to talk. “Since you have chosen the Blue Lions, I call dibs on the Black Eagles.”

“Of course I am left with the short straw,” Hanneman frowns. “Lucky for me, I was hoping to teach the golden deer this year.”

“Well now, that means we are all happy,” Manuela turns towards Byleth’s, placing a finger on his shoulder. “I have to go fetch some things before I greet my class. If you need any help, do not hesitate to ask.” After sending him a wink and running her finger down his arm, she is off, the sound of heels clicking against the floor following her. 

“That woman,” Hanneman lets out a huff. “I should get going as well. Oh! But before I do, please come by my office with your sister when you both have the time, I would love to test whether or not the two of you have a crest.”

Byleth simply nods as he walks away, leaving him alone. He takes the opportunity to walk over and lean against one of the pillars. It only takes a few seconds for him to doze off, Aerith did wake him up early after all.

~

“You must have wondered what task I would have for you now that your brother will be our new professor,” Lady Rhea says once Byleth closes the door behind them. 

“It is something I thought about,” Aerith follows Lady Rhea’s gesture towards one of the chairs, taking a seat. 

“I am not sure if Jeralt has informed you,” Lady Rhea says once she is seated at her desk. “But he will be assisting the Knights from now until future notice and I would like for you to do the same.” 

“Alright,” Aerith nods along. 

“Do not worry, I shall allow you to assist your brother if he needs it,” Lady Rhea clarifies. “But I would also like for you to assist the other houses from time to time. I shall tell you when to do so, of course.”

“Thank you,” Aerith returns the smile that the archbishop gives her. “I do have one question. Why do you want me to join the Knights?”

“Like your brother, I have heard many great things from the night where the two of you saved the house leaders,” She began to sort out the files on her desk as she spoke. “Moreso about you. I was told you are very talented at giving out orders and assessing the battlefield. Not only that but that you are also adept with a lance. You are someone that can help the Knights greatly.”

“I accept your compliments,” Aerith smiles which causes the archbishop to let out a laugh. 

“Well then, it’s settled,” Lady Rhea says as she picks up one of the files and hands it over to Aerith. “On here you will find information regarding your new room as well as your brothers. Not only that, but I want to you acquaint yourself with Catherine. She also teaches her and is one of our best commanders for the Knights of Seiros. She will help you get settled in. She departs on a mission in a few days, so make sure to talk to her as soon as you are able to. That is all.”

Aerith stands as she reaches for the paper, giving Lady Rhea a small bow before leaving her office. 

_ “I guess this means no lazying around for you,”  _ Sothis chuckles from within her mind. 

_ “I’m not the one you should be saying that to,”  _ Aerith thinks as her eyes land onto Byleth who is currently sleeping against one of the pillars, arms crossed and his head hanging towards them. 

_ “Whatever will we do with him,”  _ Sothis laughs before disappearing into Byleth’s mind, which causes him to jump suddenly. She is surely yelling at him. 

~

Byleth is standing in front of the Blue Lions entrance, contemplating whether he should just run away when Sothis decides to speak up. 

_ “And where would you run off to?”  _ Sothis asks.

_ “Our cabin is nice,”  _ Byleth answers which earns him a laugh.

_ “Stop messing around, you’ve met most of them already, so there is no need to worry”  _ Sothis assures him. 

After a few seconds, Byleth nods.  _ “You’re right, there is nothing to worry about.” _

With that, he pushes through one of the doors. Once inside, he is immediately greeted by Mercedes and Annette who stand from the table, followed by Ashe who had been conversing with them. Dimitri and Dedue are nowhere to be seen. 

“Good morning Byleth,” Mercedes sends him a warm smile. “We just got back from having breakfast.”

“You should have joined us,” Annette says brightly. “The cookies they served this morning were so good.”

“She’s not wrong,” Ashe agrees. “The food here is definitely good.”

“Maybe next time,” Byleth says simply, looking around the room. “Where are Dimitri and Dedue?”

“They should be getting here soon, they left to gather the rest of our classmates from the dining hall,” Mercedes said.

“Dimitri did look a little on edge,” Annette chimes in. “Maybe it’s because our new professor hasn’t come in yet.”

At the end of her sentence, Annette let out a gasp. “Will you be joining our lecture today!? Ooooh, this will be so fun! You should sit with us Byleth. No one here is better at studying than Mercie and I.”

“That’s a great idea,” Ashe smiled. “I hope I can join you all.”

“Of course!” Mercedes ss beaming. “The more the merrier.”

“Actually I-” Before Byleth could clarify, the doors behind him burst open, revealing a surprised Dimitri along with a worried Dedue and three other students that he didn’t recognize.

“Byleth,” Dimitri smiled. “You chose us.”

He then made his way to stand in front of Byleth, the others in tow with the biggest smile on his face.

“I’m glad,” Dimitri is now in front of him, his attention solely on him.

“What do you mean?” Annette asks, the gears clearly turning in her head before she looking right at Byleth, shock present on her face. “Wait! Does this mean our new professor is… No! I really can’t believe it! But I have been speaking to you so casually, as though we were companions!”

Mercedes simply laid a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder as she continued. “Oh, I am so sorry, Professor! You just look that same age as the rest of us, and… Oh, and I’m sorry I said that too! I really must watch my tongue…“

Byleth immediately felt overwhelmed. “I don’t mind if you continue to treat me as a friend,” He says quickly, trying to console her. 

“You say that, but…“ Annette focused her attention on the ground. “I just don’t know about all of this…”

“I’ll admit, it is something to get used to,” Dimitri spoke, catching Byleth’s attention. “After all, we wish to show you due respect.”

“There is no need,” Byleth reassured. “I’m in no position to deserve respect.”

“Nonsense,” Dimitri responded. “After what you’ve done for me, I can’t agree to that.”

“Sure,” The redhead standing next to Dimitri cut in. “But if the professor says it’s OK, shouldn’t that be enough?” He then turned to face Byleth. “I’m Sylvain by the way, Byleth, was it? Nice to meet you.”

Byleth simply nodded and shook that hand that is held out to him.

“After all, you already asked us to speak to you more casually, so we may as well relax our speech with our professor too, right?” Sylvain adds.

“Well,” Dimitri started, clearly conflicted. “We’re not in the Kingdom, so it only goes to follow that we should all speak companionably…“ After a few seconds, he finally adds. “I concede. If he says it’s fine, we ought to accept that kindness gratefully.”

“As for me,” The blonde girl next to Sylvain spoke up. “I’m not sure I can manage…” Shen then extends a hand to Byleth as well. “ It’s a pleasure, I’m Ingrid. And as our professor, you most definitely deserve respect.”

“You don’t have to force yourself if it’s too difficult,” Mercedes then directed a smile to Byleth. “You’re fine with that too, right, Byleth?” To which Byleth quickly nodded.

“Come to the training ground later,” The raven-haired student standing next to Ingrid says suddenly. “There, you will show me what you’re capable of.”

Ingrid quickly smacked his arm which earned her a glare from him and a laugh from Sylvain. “Excuse him, this is Felix.”

“Well then, I guess it’s settled,” Dimitri cut in. “We shall refer to you however we please and as it were, count me in for any such battle.”

Felix scoffed at that and Byleth simply nodded. 

“Pardon me,” Ashe spoke up. “But this is still a lot to take in, nonetheless, I would also love to observe you in battle, for future reference. From what I’ve heard, you are said to be quite the force to be reckoned with.”

“Ashe, I won’t have you speak of merely watching,” Dimitri says. “You should join us as well.”

Mercedes let out a giggle before speaking. “If you get injured, simply say the word and I’ll patch you up straight away!”

“Your Highness,” Dedue finally spoke. “Do take care not to go overboard.”

“You worry too much, Dedue,” Dimitri assures. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“My companions!” Sylvain starts sarcastically. “Is there not something inherently wrong with crossing blades as a way to bond with each other?”

“Huh, I never thought of it that way,” Ingrid responds mockingly. “Well, if that’s how you feel, I supposed you’ll just stay behind while the rest of us are at the training ground?”

“Ingrid, my dearest friend,” Sylvain responds, bringing a hand up to his heart, feigning pain. “You really are too harsh on me.”

“Well then, what do you think?” Dimitri turns to Byleth expectantly. “As you can see, the Blue Lion House is a lively bunch, but you’ll find none who work harder. I’m certain we’ll cause our fair share of trouble, but I’m very much looking forward to the time we spend together.”

With that, they all make their way out of the classroom, leaving Byleth alone.

_ “Like I said before, you are definitely going to have your hands full,”  _ Sothis says, clearly amused. 

_ “Is it too late to run?”  _ Byleth asks, already trying to come up with a plan before Sothis yells at him. Yet, before she can say anything, Dimitri pops his head into the room, a smile on his face. 

“Are you coming?”

Byleth simply nods and ignores the chuckle that escapes Sothis’s lips.

~

“Where are you heading off to kiddo?” Jeralt asks.

Aerith, who had been trying to figure out the layout of the monastery for the past two hours looked away from the paper that the archbishop gave her and met her father’s question with a smile.

“This place is like a maze,” Aerith let out a sigh. “I’m supposed to find a woman who goes by Catherine, but I have no idea where the training lounge is.”

“Oh, you mean where they keep the training dummies,” Jeralt rubs his chin. “Teachers sometimes like to give individual lessons there to help those who need the extra instruction, but the knights also like to hang around there. Why are you looking for Catherine?”

“You haven’t heard?” Aerith’s brows furrow as her father shook his head. “Strange, but regardless, Lady Rhea didn’t want me lazing around, so she asked me to join the knights, but she also wants me to help the different houses when they need it.”

Jeralt seemed lost in thought as his daughter explained the situation. 

“She told me to meet with Catherine since she would be able to teach me the ropes,” Aerith waved the paper in her hands around. “She wrote a list of supplies that I’ll need on here, but also where I would likely find her, but I’m lost.”

Jeralt held out his hand and Aerith handed him the paper. After a few seconds of reading it over, Jeralt finally spoke. 

“Well, unfortunately for you,” Jeralt places a firm hand on Aerith’s shoulder. “Catherine left for to the town a few hours ago, so odds are, you won’t get to see her until tomorrow.”

“Damn,” Aerith hissed. 

“But!” Jeralt says, a little livelier. “I can help you get the supplies listed on here, it won’t take us too long.”

“Thanks, Dad, “ Aerith smiles as Jeralt begins to guide her towards the market in front of the monastery.

“I, for one, am happy that you are joining the knights,” Jeralt squeezed her shoulder as Aerith shot him a confused look, remembering his annoyed expression when the archbishop had asked him to come back. 

“Why?” Aerith asks. 

“Well, that means that we’ll be stuck serving the church together,” Jeralt says as they walk through the entrance of the main building, the market right in front of them at the end of the stairs. “And that I’ll be able to keep an eye on you, meaning that I’ll only have to worry about your brother.”

“Wow,” Aerith starts sarcastically. “I am so happy right.”

Jeralt laughs and pats her back. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t be babysitting you,” Jeralt says once they reach the end of the stairs. “If you were your brother, then I would. Anyways, let’s get you what you need. Oh! And be careful if you come across Anna, I’ve heard that she is really good at emptying your pockets.”

Aerith laughs as they head into the market.

~

“You’re exaggerating,” Sothis is floating over Byleth’s desk, looking over all the little trinkets here and there while Byleth laid back in his chair, a wet cloth over his forehead. He was in dire need of a bath, but he promised Aerith that they would meet up in his classroom first. 

“Maybe I am,” Byleth closes his eyes. “But sparring with a bunch of people for six hours is too much, it’s different when it’s one person, but with eight people! That’s too much.”

“Don’t lie,” Sothis continues to look over the contents on the table. “You enjoyed it.”

“No, I didn’t,” Byleth refused to open his eyes.

Sothis simply rolled her eyes. “Have you not learned by now that no one knows your thoughts better than I?”

Byleth doesn’t respond.

Instead of looking at the desk, Sothis is now looking at Byleth. “It’s been quite some time since you’ve had the chance to spar. There is a difference between fighting for your life and fighting for growth.”

Sothis moves to hover behind Byleth, placing her hands on the back of his chair.

“When fighting for your life, there is less time to analyze your opponent and the fear of dying, letting those you love down either lingers at the back of your mind or controls your every move. You fight with purpose, with the goal to be the last one standing,” Sothis then looks over the empty classroom.

“There are stakes when fighting for your life and the lives of those you care about,” Sothis says seriously, but changes her tone to something more intense, slowly trying to build tension. “But with sparring, there are no such stakes. Instead, there is respect and wariness. You have the time to analyze your opponent, studying their stance, deciphering what their strengths and weaknesses are. But it isn’t until your weapons meet for the first time that the fun begins.”

Sothis then musters some of her energy and sends it through Byleth’s body, aware of the goosebumps that have run up his back and across his arms.

“You feel it every time your sword clashes with theirs,” Sothis says, looking up at the ceiling, closing her eyes and reliving the sparring session between Byleth and Dimitri. The way everyone disappeared so that it was only the two of them as they fought for dominance. She then decides to take those emotions from those memories and sends them to Byleth’s body.

“You feel it with every step,” Sothis recalls the moment when Byleth pushed back, which forced him to dig his heels into the ground, so she sends some of her energy there, recreating that same sensation. “You feel it with every breath,” Sothis brings the memory to Byleth’s mind, causing Byleth’s breath to quicken. “You feel it every time your eyes meet his,” Sothis then brings up every time their eyes met, the feeling so intense that Byleth felt the goosebumps run through his whole body.

“All of it builds, the adrenaline taking control, letting you do as you without the fear of death on weighing on your shoulders,” Sothis runs the memories of every time Byleth’s sword met Dimitri’s lance, causing him to almost feel the same vibrations than rand through his arms as their weapons met with force. The room feels heavy but Byleth can’t bring himself to open his eyes, too enthralled by the sensations and the excitement that has been building in his chest. 

“All of it coming together until you see the perfect opening,” Sothis brings up the last of the memories, when Dimitri let his guard down for one second which allowed Byleth to swing his body so that he was at Dimitri’s side, sending a swift kick to the back Dimitri’s left knee, making the younger stumble forward. Without much thought, Byleth brought his foot up and positioned it over the small of Dimitri’s back, kicking him forward which caused him to fall all the way. Dimitri then rolled over to his back, avoiding Byleth’s sword that struck the ground where he once was. But, before Dimitri could stand up, Byleth placed a firm foot on Dimitri’s stomach which held the boy in place, the tip of Byleth’s sword hovered a few inches from Dimitri’s throat and the two locked eyes, staring at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Byleth kept his eyes closed, letting all of it run through his body, his breathing still uneven. Those memories felt so real, almost as if he was fighting Dimitri all over again. He then startles slightly when Sothis whispers close to his ear, causing the hairs at the back of his neck to stand.

“It felt great, didn’t it?” Sothis then pulls away, moving so that she is now hovering in front of Byleth.

The man in front of her then pushes himself forward, ignoring how the wet cloth has fallen to the ground as he opens his eyes, staring at Sothis who stares back at him.

“Like I said,” Sothis starts with a smug expression. “No one knows your thoughts better than I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone^^
> 
> It's been a while. I am sorry for not uploading consistently, but somehow the quarantine has made me the opposite of productive. This chapter was a little shorter than the last one but I am already working on the next one which should be significantly longer, but I wanted to give you all something so that you know that I am still working on this^^
> 
> Until the next time, stay safe, stay indoors, and wash your hands^^
> 
> (Also, I hope there aren't too many typos, if there are, please let me know, but regardless, I do like to look back after a few days and make some edits^^)


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